Stem cell research and diabetes cure is definitely an ongoing project and it is displaying great promise.

Stem cell research and diabetes cure is an ongoing project which is exhibiting excellent promise. The University of Pennsylvania is currently performing clinical studies for a new surgery called Islet Cell Transplantation.

The newest procedure consists of transplanting islet cells coming from a matching donor. Beta islet cells are definitely the cells from the pancreas that secrete insulin. The procedure is for Type 1 diabetics whose Beta islet cells have been destroyed and thus no insulin is manufactured. These mecholesterol.com patients have to be on insulin therapy for the rest of their lives. Because the cells are transplanted in the liver, the body following the first transplant can provide warning signs if the blood sugar is too low. Many Type 1 diabetics don’t have any warning and often just black out that may be harmful when driving or performing other essential tasks.

Islet cell transplantation can not treat most cases of Type 2 diabetes but is a probable remedy for the over 700,000 folks in the United States who have got Type 1 diabetes. But, presently there are not sufficient donors to go around with just approximately 3,500 donor organs available during the past year. Most patients presently need 2 transplantations to get completely off insulin therapy.

The answer to this challenge would be to make islets in the lab making use of stems cells. There is currently research taking place using debatable embryonic stem cells and also stem cells obtained from adults. But because of the ethical and political debate regarding stem cells this pathway into a cure is moving slowly and gradually. People who feel that life starts at conception strongly fight embryonic stem cell research because the cells come from human embryos which are destroyed in the process. Embryonic stem cells have not matured into human cells and have the greatest potential to grow to be any type of cells inside the body, including hair, skin, blood, toenail and so on.

Opponents to this research feel that adult stem cells obtained from adult bone marrow is the solution to this problem. But there are studies which raise queries about the capability of these cells as therapies.

A current published study revealed that an intestinal hormone caused stem cells extracted from a pancreas to become islet cells that secrete insulin – these are typically called beta cells, there is however debate over this research and it has not been able to become reproduced.

Even though research using stem cells is in its infant stages a lot of scientists feel that this research holds the most promise for success for diabetics to be able to quit taking insulin injection after their bodies start generating the hormone naturally.

Stem cell research and diabetes cure is surely an ongoing project and is exhibiting great promise in the struggle to look for a remedy for this chronic disease.